


Memoirs of an Angel

by Daryl_Grimes (Loki_Likey_Thor_Odinson)



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - After the Apocalypse, Daryl died of old age, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-04
Updated: 2015-12-06
Packaged: 2018-05-04 23:54:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5353094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Loki_Likey_Thor_Odinson/pseuds/Daryl_Grimes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When looking through the attic for the Christmas decorations, Daisy Dixon finds a box full of her Grandpop's belongings back from the apocalypse in which she was born. </p><p>In the box, she finds a bunch of letters, all addressed to different people.</p><p>Daisy barely knew the Grandpop that she knew as a toddler, the joint-leader of a group that kept her safe from the dead no matter what.<br/>Could these letters hold what she wants to know so desperately about her Grandpop?</p><p>
  <em>So I still talk to my English teacher despite the fact I'm no longer in education and she gave me this challenge to do which is the 30 Day Letter Challenge. Since I don't like writing personal things down, I thought I would do it for Daryl. I hope you enjoy my interpretations of Daryl's own mind during the Apocalypse.</em>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Hannibal_X_Will](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hannibal_X_Will/gifts).



Daisy went through the old boxes in the attic, frowning at the dust that erupted from each box that she nudged or opened. Her Mother, Judith, had sent her up to the attic to find the Christmas decorations so that they could put the Christmas tree up – Uncle Carl had already started bringing wrapped presents around.

Her Mother was at work, being a doctor kept her Mother much too busy for Daisy’s liking, but it happened. Not that she was grateful for it, but once her Grandpops had died, her Mother had taken a lot of time off work, two months; and it had been almost blissful. Of course, Daisy missed her Grandpop Daryl, almost as much as her Grandpop Rick, but there wasn’t much that could be done about that.

Moving to open another box, the scent of death filled her nostrils, filling her mind with memories of when she was a toddler. She closed her eyes, letting the visions flood her mind.

 _The walking dead, moving around, lurching towards her Uncle Carl._  
_Uncle Glenn shooting forward to stab it through the head._  
 _Aunt Michonne running past her to scoop her up, sword swooping through the air._

Glancing back down at the box, Daisy stared at a rusted old crossbow, just like the one that they’d buried Grandpop Daryl with, just like the one they had nailed to the living room wall above the fire place.

Slowly reaching into the box, she lifted it out, grunting at how heavy it actually was. She ran her hands over it gently, making sure not to cut herself on the arrows that were still attached to it before she lay it next to the box. Delving back inside, she found a small photo album.

Opening it, a smile spread across her face.

Pictures of her as a baby, wrapped in a moth-eaten blanket, being sheltered from snow by her Grandpop Rick. The next photo, she was curled up in her Uncle Glenn’s arms, suckling a bottle, reaching up to tug on the unruly bears he had growing. In the next, she was in her Grandpop Daryl’s arms, obviously squealing as he held her up high.

A sad smile crossed her face as she realised that this must be her Grandpop’s old belongings from during the apocalypse.

She shouldn’t be going through these – the only person who should be allowed to look through this was Grandpop Rick, but she couldn’t resist finding out who her Grandpop was – the man before the one she knew.

Glancing at the attic door, debating if she had time before her Grandpop Rick called for her to help him with his medication, she smiled before delving into the box.

A leather jacket was the first thing she pulled out, and she held it out at arm’s length, tilting her head as she looked over the detailing on the back. Faded wing shapes were stitched into the leather. Angel’s wings, Daisy could tell, even though the fabric was faded and peeling off.

Setting it down on top of the crossbow, she delved in once more, pulling up a large wad of envelopes. She frowned, and read the messy, yet delicate writing on the first envelope – _my best friend_. She carefully tugged it free from the elastic band and turned it over, seeing only a small piece of tape securing it. Slipping her finger under the strip, Daisy held her breath before she jumped as her Grandpop Rick called up the stairs to her.

“Daisy! Daisy, sweetheart, please help me for a moment!”

“I’ll be right there Grandpop!”

She put the envelopes in her back pocket, before carefully putting the jacket and crossbow back in the box, pushing it across the floor before she rushed to the door and ladder, and her Grandpop beyond.


	2. to my best friend

By the time that Daisy had helped her Grandpop take his medication, had helped him lean back in his rocking chair and had started the rock so he could rest, the sound of the front door clicking had her attention.

“Daisy!”

“Living room!”

She gently tucked a woollen blanket around her Grandpop’s shoulders, leaning in to gently kiss his temple. “Take a nap, Gramps. I’ll make you some scrambled eggs when you wake up, I’ll add some of that chorizo that you like, add a bit of a barbecue sauce as well.”

Rick smiled softly, and patted her hand, letting his eyes close. “Thank you, Daisy.” The young girl flinched at the sound of his rattling breath. “I’m lucky to have you.”

Daisy smiled and leaned in to hug her Grandpop tightly, before stepping back and smiling at her mother in the doorway. She ran forward to throw her arms around her Mother, relishing in the scent of her perfume.

“I didn’t know you were working an early shift this morning.”

“I had to go in for an emergency and they gave me the rest of the day off rather than make me work a 16 hour shift. You want lunch?”

“I have something I need to do but I can come down in five or ten minutes.”

“I’ll have some food for you soon.”

Daisy smiled and ran upstairs. The envelopes had been rubbing against her skin, causing her to wince when she tugged them out. She checked and found a few paper cuts, and rolled her eyes before sitting at her desk.

Slowly taking the elastic band off the letters, Daisy picked up the one on top that said _My best friend_.

Glancing at the door in her mirror, she stood to shut it before sitting back down. She slid her finger under the tape and carefully broke it off before tugging the browned paper out.

The spots of blood alarmed her, dried, crispy; her Grandpop must have been bleeding when he wrote this – maybe a bloody nose, or a shoulder wound. She traced her fingers over the dried liquid before her eyes focused on the words on the page.

_Glenn,_

_I know we’re not really the best of friends, but, I guess that you’re one of the only people in this place I can call a friend. Sure, we’re not that close, but I mean, you look out for me. You make sure I eat, you keep an eye out when we go out hunting, and we’ve saved each other’s lives on a good few occasions._

_I know I’m quite a personal person, I don’t really... do friends. I don’t get close to people._

_My doctor back when things weren’t shit said that I had social anxiety. I don’t like doing a lot of things. Eating in front of people is hard and I’m glad you saw that. Taking me away from the group, taking me hunting so I can eat by myself was one of the things you did for me and I couldn’t be more grateful._

_When we were leaving Woodbury, and you disappeared, I worried; I really was worried that you wouldn’t come back and we’d lose you, and then you came sprinting back, jumped on my motor cycle and screamed for us to go. I tell you, having your arms around me like that; it was comforting, kinda like home._  
_I was glad when you came to see me that night and – I’m kinda surprised that you knew my birthday. Maybe you asked Merle when he was with us, I don’t know. When you gave me a present, I was shocked, even confused._  
 _When I opened it to find Merle’s knife, the one he had on his arm, I didn’t know what you were doing._  
 _‘I just thought that you could maybe use it for protection if you found yourself without a weapon. You know, like Merle was still protecting you.’_  
 _I never thought anyone would ever do something like that for me._

 _I hope that even after all this crap, when the world goes back to normal, I hope we’re friends still. Watching Judith grow up, seeing her and Carl become my children – even Judy referring to me as her Daddy... I hope you’re still there to be their uncle when they’re older. When Rick and I are gone, they’re gonna need someone to look after them, and I really hope that_ if _we have any grandchildren, I hope you’re there to help them through life, especially when they’re all alone._

_Thank you for helping me through some of the worst times of my life, thank you for being there when the world went to absolute shit. I doubt I could have gotten through some of it without you and Rick at some points._

_-Daryl_

xox

Daisy’s eyes flickered to the wall which held all her photo memories. She had one on the wall where pictures spelled out the word _Hope_ – and in the P were the pictures of her and her Uncle Glenn.

He’d taken her out for her first sushi, her first Chinese food, Korean. Pictures of her facial expressions as she tried sake at the age of 9 – allowed one small glass by her Mother – was the pride of the photos.  
He’d taken her out go karting for her 12th birthday – that had ended in her going to the hospital with a broken wrist – Daryl had flipped out, and refused to let Glenn see her for a week and a half, before Daisy had managed to convince him that she would be fine and safe.

A speck appeared on the letter in her hand and Daisy realised she was crying.

She knew that her Grandpop and her Uncle Glenn had been close, but she had always assumed he was an Uncle on her Grandpop Rick’s side. Then again, she thought everyone, other than her Great-Aunt Carol had been on Rick’s side.

She found herself crying, trying to imagine what her Grandpop might have been like, how he might be with Uncle Glenn. Would he have been as sweet and gentle with him as he was when Daisy was younger?

“Daisy! Lunch!”

“Just a second, Mom!”

She jumped, folding the letter back into the envelope. Tugging her personal belongings box down from her shelf, and put the whole wad in before putting it back. Wiping her face she hurried downstairs to smile at her Mother.

Eating the fry up her mother had made her, she did her best not to think too much about the letter she had just read, but she found her eyes wouldn’t leave the picture of her Grandpop and Uncle Glenn on a fishing trip, laughing and smiling with each other.


	3. to my crush

_Rick_

_You know, I never expected anything like this to happen. I was certain, so damn_ certain _that I was straight but then you came out of nowhere, and threw everything out of spin. I started dreaming about you._

_After we went to get Merle and he wasn’t there, you looked after me. You came to look after me when you found me sobbing, you looked after me. You gave me space and then you were there to make sure I ate and to look after me. Hell, you even tucked me up and checked on me during the night. Every time I had a nightmare about Merle, you were there when I woke up, you were there to look after me and make sure I was safe. I lost count of how many times I woke up and you’d be pressing a wet cloth to my forehead, making sure that I didn’t heat up or fall ill and succumb to the virus._

_Then we were at the farm and you made sure that I got enough to eat. Even with everything going on, you made sure that, even thought I wanted to take myself away from the group, you stayed there, you made sure that I was safe, that I was sleeping well – hell, I’m pretty sure that you carried me back to camp when Andrea shot me, the fucking bitch. I mean, I know she was only trying to keep the camp safe, but Jesus, really?_

_Then we got to the camp and... you made sure that people saw me as human. As part of the group. You kept me safe, and you made me the guy by your side. We worked together, and you made sure I was safe. When Lori went, I decided to repay the favour, I was there to look after you. You never saw it, but I was there for Carl. I acted as another Father for him, was there to help him, even trained him in more archery so that he could defend himself and his baby sister._

_Watching Judy grow up, by your side, as her Father really, it did a lot for me. I never thought children would be as big a part of my life as they were, and you made that possible. When Judy called me Daddy, the first time, I thought I was going to cry from happiness. When_ Carl _referred to me as a Father, I did tear up._

_You gave me a family in the midst of the damn world ending._

_Watching Carl and Judy grow up was amazing, watching them become into the amazing adults they did was brilliant, but it was better with you by my side. Watching Carl become a psychiatrist, and help people out, and then Judy becoming a Doctor when the world went back to normal. I mean, I didn’t think it would be possible for her, what falling pregnant in the apocalypse at 17? But hey, we got to raise our granddaughter whilst she studied._

_I love you, Rick Grimes, you’ve made me into the man I am today, and I am happy to call you my husband and the man I love._

_-Darl_

xox

Daisy carefully put the letter back in the envelope and sat up. She glanced out her window at the stars high above, shining bright against the black sky.

It was how she slept now – she had the attic room, and she preferred it, pretending that her Grandpop was watching over her. She went across her room before sliding the envelope back in her box.

She had photos of her Grandpops together, one of her favourites sat on her desk – it was before their health both got worse, they’d gone down to the beach. Rick had grabbed Daryl out of nowhere, leaning in to kiss Daryl. Daryl had leant back, relaxing in Rick’s hold.

Daisy had seen the opportunity and snapped the photo, the sun setting in the background, but both men able to be seen.

It had been one of the photos buried with Daryl.

Standing up, she sighed and headed to her door, clambering down the ladder. She crept down the hallway, past her Mother’s room, in an attempt to get a drink, only to freeze when she heard her Grandpop call for her. She turned, and opened the door to his room, peering in.

“Grandpop Rick?”

“Daisy, Daisy sweetheart, come here.”

Smiling, she moved across the room, and slid into the bed with her Grandpop, cuddling close. His arms wrapped around her, holding her tightly to his body. She smiled and curled up, relaxing in the warmth.

“Grandpop Rick?”

“Hm?”

“Will you tell me about Grandpop Daryl? What he was like during the apocalypse?”

There was silence in the room before Rick cleared his throat. “He was... when I first knew him, he was... trouble. Well, he was a good kid, but he was raised in a bad way. He held a gun to my head the first time we met.” He chuckled. “Would have shot me if my friend hadn’t threatened _him_. He was... anxious around new people. It took him a long time to relax to me. Nearly a year and half but when he did, we were a formidable team. He was one of the best people I knew. I had a wife in the apocalypse, a woman named Lori, and she died having your Mom. When she did die, Daryl stepped up. He was really just my second in command before that, but he stepped up. He looked after you Mom, made sure to feed her, keep her warm. He looked after your Uncle Carl, taught him how to shoot, how to defend himself and his baby sister. He became the rock that the Grimes family needed.”

Rick sat up and Daisy followed suite, helping him to find his cane as he made his way to the door and downstairs.

“Daryl was a man I needed in my life. We didn’t start off as lovers, that didn’t come for a long, long time, not until we were set up in Alexandria. That was where you were born, that’s where the photos on the wall of you as a baby came from.”

“Grandpop? Sorry to interrupt but... I know that’s a lie.”

Rick turned to face her with a frown. “I know I was born just before Alexandria. I found a photo album in Grandpop Daryl’s things. There were pictures of me in his arms in a camp. Newborn. You can stop lying. I know Mom was 17 when she had me, not 20. You can tell me the truth.”

The frown seemed to get deeper before Rick smiled, motioning for Daisy to help him down the stairs.

“You’re a smart young girl, Daisy. You definitely take after Daryl. He’d be proud to see how much of a woman you’ve become in the past few weeks since he left.”

They moved into the kitchen and Daisy went to make hot chocolate for them both, before helping Rick to sit down.

“Daryl was a godsend for both of us. He helped me and I helped him.”

Daisy smiled, pouring milk and sugar into cups, trying not to make too much noise.

“Grandpop, can you tell me more about how you met?”

She handed him a mug, before sitting opposite him with a smile. Rick reciprocated it, before he went off on the story, both of them blind to the time on the oven ticking forward to morning.


End file.
